Pair of MN Teams Advance Toward GJNC Bids in Omaha

Two Minnesota teams successfully advanced out of Round 2 in Omaha to keep their bid hopes alive at the U18 Northern Lights Qualifier. In the 18 Open division, MN Select 18-1 earned a second place finish in their Round 2 pool following a tie-breaking single set match versus KC Power 18-1. Pool 1 in Round 2 was a battle as three of the teams finished with 2-1 records thus creating the tie breaker scenario. In their head-to-head matchup, KC Power beat MN Select in the pool. However, redemption was served as MN Select took the single set extra match with a commanding 25-16 win. MN Select 18-1 is now among four teams in the Round 3 Gold pool that will compete for bids to the 18 Open GJNC event later this season. The other three teams they will face are COAST 18-1, Milwaukee Sting 18 Gold, and A4 Volley 18 Purple.

In the 18 American division, Northern Lights 18-Black finished second in their Round 2 pool securing their place among the remaining eight teams that will compete in the Gold playoff bracket. With a 2-1 Round 2 record, NL 18-Black defeated Premier Nebraska 18 Black and Team KC VBC 18-1 while losing 0-2 to the eventual pool winner Performance 18 NIKE. NL 18-Black will now face PVA 18 Elite in the quarterfinals on Sunday morning.

In other results, additional 18 Open action included Northern Lights 18-1 finishing third in their Round 2 pool following a final match opportunity to stay alive for the Round 3 Gold playoff. A lost to COAST 18-1 was followed by a 2-0 win over Club One AZ 18Platinum. With a 1-1 record, their final match of the day was against undefeated A4 Volley 18 Purple. A win would have created a three-way tie after all pool play matches. After dropping the first set 21-25, NL 18-1 bounced back with a 25-19 win to tie it up. Extra points were needed in set three with A4 taking the win with a 17-15 victory and a 3-0 record on the day. NL 18-1 will compete in the Silver bracket semifinals on Sunday against Iowa PowerPlex 17U TPP.

Other teams competing on Sunday include:

18 Open

Bronze bracket: Northern Lights 17-1 vs. Illinois HPSTL 18 Elite

Flight 1 bracket: Northern Lights 18-2 vs. Nebraska Elite 17 TKO

18 American

Silver bracket: Northern Lights 18-Red vs. Impact 18 Pink

Bronze bracket: Impact 18 Black vs. IPVA 18 Red

18 USA

Bronze bracket: MN North 18-1 vs. V-Hawk Xtreme 18 National

Results and schedules can be found here.